Apparatus for conducting steam from an economizer to alpha boiler



March 1, 1932. D. s. JACOBUS 1,847,591

STEAM FROM AN ECONOMIZER TO A BOILER APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING Filed June 19, 1924 INVENTOR 56 ATTORNEYS awns. .moonus, or JERSEY CITY, NEw .rEasEY,

ratented Mar. 1, 1932 jco'x con ra- Y, or BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A nrranarus' FOR CONDUCTING STEAM FROM Application filed June-19,

I My invention relates to boiler installations ich economizers are employed and in it s desirable to make special proviin wh which sionfor conducting to the boiler steam formed in the economizers.

My invention will best be understood by reference to thefollowing description anddrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in vertical elevation, partly in section, .of an installation employing an illustrative embodiment of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a detailed view of-a valve shown in Fig. 1.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention, 10 isthe steam and water drum of a known type. of Babcock 8: Vilcox boiler havln banks of horizontally inclined water tufies 11 over which the furnace gases travel.

Associated with the boiler is an economizer 12, the hot gases from the boiler passing through a flue 13 and thence down over the economizer tubes. Feed water enters the economizerat the bottom thereof through pipe 14 and leaves through pipe 15 leading to a steam and water separator or tank 16.

From the lower rtion of the separator 16 leads a pipe 17. to t e water space of drum 10, the pipe 17 being provided with a throttle valve 18 and a check valve 19. Leading from the upper portion of se arator 16 is a pipe 20 which is connected Wit 1 steam space of drum 10,'as shown. Located in the upper end of pipe 20, is a valve 21 preferably of the balanced type. The actuation rod 24 for valve 21 is connected to an arm ofa beam 22 in separator 16, beam 22 being carried by a knife edge, on either side resting upon asup port 23. At opposite ends of beam 22 are supported a. air of floats 25 and 26 having stems of unequal length, as shown.

As is well understood, the pressure on the feed water before it reaches the check valve 19 is greater than the boiler pressure, in order to provide a head to force the feed water past the valve into the boiler, the valve 18 being normally throttled somewhat. Furthermore, the pressure of the feed water in tank 16 may be, and ordinarily is, greater than the pressure of the steam in pipe 20. Hence, it is necessary to provide the valve 21 to prevent the feed water fillin tank 16 and flowing through pipe 20 into t e boiler.

NT1 OFFICE ASSIGNOR TO THE BABCOCK d: WIL- COBPORATION OF NEW JERSEY aN ECONOMIZER TO A BOiLEB 1924. Serial No. 720,891.

In normal operation, formed in the economizer, the valve 21 is closed and the water level in tank 16 rises until the pressure above the surface of the water is the same as that of the water. The feed water would then flow into and out of the tanli without material variation in the water leve Should steaming occur in the economizer, it is collected in the space above the water in tank 16 and as its amount increases, forces the water level downward until float 26 is sufficiently exposed to turn beam 22 and open -valve 21. The steam in tank 16 being under greater pressure than that in the boiler, passes into pipe 20 and the boiler.

As soon as the pressure drops, the water level rises and valve 21 closes.

When steam is no longer withdrawn from the boiler and the feed supply is shut oil, as during the lay-0ver period, steaming in the economizer is quite apt to occur. In order to maintain a circulation between the economizer and the separator, during such a layover period, and thus permit the steam enerated in the economizer to enter the boiler. I provide a return pipe 27 having a check valve 28 joining pipe 17 with the economizer preferably at a point midway in the hei ht thereof, whereby the resistance to ow through the economizer is proportiouatel cut down. By locating separator 16 at a sutficient height above economizer 12, the difference in specific gravity between the water leaving the economizer and containing some steam and that-leaving the separator at a necessarily slightly lower temperature, will be suflicient to cause a circulation through the economizer and separator, and the steam separated in the separator 16 is passed to the boiler as just described. When the boiler is fed in the ordinary way with the feed water entering the economizer through the pipe 14 and leaving the economizer through the pipe 15, the check valve 28 will be closed because the pressure in the pipe 27 is greater than it is in the pipe 17 The frictional resistance to the flow of the water through that part of the economizer which comes above the point at which pipe 27 is connected to it, as well with no steam being i as the frictional resistance of the piping and connections leading from the top of the economizer to the pipe 17, reduces the pressure in pipes 15 and 17 below that in pipe 27. It might be possible for the check valve 28 to remain open with feed water admitted to the pipe 14 at a very low rate of flow. ThlS would be advantageous as there would then be a circulation in the upper part of the economizer independent of the circulation caused by forcing the feed water through the economizer in the same way as when no feed water at all is admitted through the pipe 14. The check valve 28 will, however, be closed when there is a material flow of water into the. economizer through the pipe 14.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a simple and effective means for returning steam generated in the economizer to the steam space of the boiler, whereby irregularities which would be produced by the steam entering the drum with the feed water are avoided. Likewise I have also provided means for returning to the boiler. that steam which is generated when the feed supply thereto is shut off, thereby accumulating steam which would otherwise be unavailable, and which, unless released, might cause damage to the tubes through overheating.

Various changes will occur to those skilled in the art without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the feed water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, a conduit connecting the steam space of said separator with a steam space of the boiler, a valve in said conduit and means for opening and closing said valve controlled by the steam generated in said economizer.

2. In combination with a boiler an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the feed water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, a conduit connecting the steam space of said separator with a steam space of the boiler, a valve in said conduit and float-actuated means for opening said valve when the steam present in the separator forces the water therein below a predetermined level and for closing said valve when the water in the separator returns to the predetermined level.

3. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the feed water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, means for introducing steam from said separator into a'steam space of the boiler, a valve to control the flow of water from the separator to the boiler and a conduit to return feed water from said separator to said economizer when feed to the boiler in shut off, said conduit having a check valve to prevent flow therein away from the economizer.

4. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the feed water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, a conduit connecting the steam space oi said separator with a steam space of the boiler, a valve in said conduit, means for opening and closing said valve controlled by the steam generated in said economizer, a valve to control the flow of water from the separator to the boiler and a conduit to return feed Water from said separator to said economizer when feed to the boiler is shut off, said conduit having a check valve to prevent flow therein away from the economizer.

5. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator, a connections between the economizer outlet and said separator and between the outlet of said separator and said economizer, valved connections between the steam spaces of said separator and the boiler and means controlled by the steam pressure in said separator to open said valved connections when the steam in said separator exceeds a predetermined pressure.

6. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the water from the economizer passes on its Way to the boiler, a conduit connecting the steam space of said separator with a steam space of the boiler, a valve in said conduit, means for opening and closing said valve controlled by the steam generated in said economizer and a conduit to return feed water from said separator to said economizer when feed to the boiler is shut off.

7. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the water from the economizer passes on its ay to the boiler, a conduit connecting the steam space of said separator with a steam space of the boiler, a valve in said conduit, means for opening and closing said valve controlled by the steam generated in said economizer, a conduit returning feed water from said separator to said economizer when feed to the boiler is shut-off and a check valve in said last mentioned conduit, the separator being located at sufficient height above the economizer to cause a circulation between the economizer and the separator, by reason of the difference in specific gravity of the mixture entering the separator and'the water leaving it.

8. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a normally closed steam and water separating tank independent of said economizer, a pipe connecting said tank to the outlet of said economizer, a steam pipe COl'r neeting the upper part of said tank with the steam space of the boiler, a water feed pipe connecting the lower part of said tank with III the water space of the boiler a valve in said steam pipe, and float-controlled mechanism in said tank to open said valve when the water level in the tank falls below a predetermined point.

9. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, a connection from the steam space of the separator to the steam space of the boiler, and a conduit returning feed water from said separator to said econo'mizer when feed to the boiler is diminished the separator being located at sufficient height above the economlzer to cause a circulation between the economizer and the separator,

by reason of the difference in specific gravity of the mixture entering the separator and the water leaving it.

10. In combination with a boiler, an economizer, a steam and water separator through which the water from the economizer passes on its way to the boiler, a connection from the steam space of the separator to the steam space of the boiler, a conduit returning feed water from said separator to said economizer when feed to the boiler is diminished and a check valve therein, the separator being located at suflicient hei ht above the economizer to cause a circulation between the economizer and the se arator, by reason of the difierence in speci c gravity of the mixture entering the separator and the water leaving it.

DAVID S. 

